lain sox dunklee



(No Model.) T E. L. DUNKLEE.

THILL COUPLING.

N0. 359,011. Patented M21128, 1887.

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WITNESSES INVENTOR M BY JM/(MM ATTORNEYS.

Unrrnn Srarns PATENT OFFICE.

E. LANSOX DUNKLEE, OF IVYALUSING, PENNSYLVANIA.

THELL=CUPLENG.

EPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 359,011, dated March 8, 1887.

Application filed September '7, 1866. Serial No. 212,927.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, E. Lawson DUNKLEE, of IVyalusing, in the county of Bradford and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new andlmproved Thill-Goupling, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to thill-eouplings, and has for its object to provide a simple, inexpensive, substantial, readily-adjustable, and non-rattling coupling of this character.

The invention consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations of parts of the (hill-coupling, all as hereinafter fully described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification,

in which similar letters of reference indicate.

corresponding parts in both the figures.

Figure 1 is a side view ot'iny improved coup ling as attached to an axle, which is shown in crosssection, the chill -iron being broken away; and Fig. 2 is a front View of the coupling and adjacent portion of the axle.

The main body part or bow A of the thillcoupling which embraces the vehicle-axle B is provided, asusual, with bolt ends a a, which pass through the lower clip-plate, O, and receive tightening-nuts I) E below said plate.

A lug, F, formed on the front of the coupling-bow A, has a round transverse aperture,

f, in which the eye or rounded lug g of the thill-iron G has a bearing. At its top or upper part the lug F is cutaway to forina transverse slot, f, only about broad enough for the shank portion g of the thill-iron next its eye g to pass through, and into this transverse slotf there opens a front vertical slot, H, which is formed in the top and front portions of the coupling-lug F, and in which slot II the shank g of the thill-iron rests when the thills are down with their forward ends on the ground, or when the thills are raised somewhat and a horse is hitched to the vehicle be ween them.

The eye 9 of the thill-iron G is about as long as or a tridelonger than the width of the lug F, in which it iits, and at its opposite ends the eye is provided with pins I I, over which hooks J J, formed on the upper ends of an open yoke or link, K, are engaged.- A spring, L, fastened at its back end, Z, by the (No model.)

nut E, is bent over downward and then forward, and at its outer or forward end is provided with a hook, M, which engages the lower crossbar, 7a, of the link K, and exerts a constant downward pressure on said link, and through its hooks J and the pins I upon the eye g of the thill-iron, and prevents rattling of the eye in its bearing-lug F; hence the coupling will be noiseless. Furthermore, the lapping of the sides of the link K upon opposite sides or faces of the lug F and the thill-iron eye 9 tends to hold the parts of the coupling together.

To uncouple the thills, it is only necessary to lift the links K against the tension of the springs L and disengage the link-hooks J from the pins I of the thill-iron eyes, and when the thills are raised until their shanks 9 stand in line with the top transverse slots, f, of the lugs F, and as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1, the thills may be disconnected by moving them to one side or the other, the shanks of the thill-irons then slipping through the slots.

To couple the thills to the axle, the shanks g of the thill-irons will be brought to coincide with the lug-slotsj, and the thills will be moved sidewise until their shanks g come into line with the lug-slots H, and the thills then will be lowered to enter the shanks 9 into said slots II, and the hooks J of the link K will be engaged with the thili-iron pins I, and the coupling is complete.

This thill-conpling, while being practically noiseless, is very easily adjusted and is reliable in use, and is not expensive, and has a neat appearance on the rnnninggear of a vehicle, and there is no danger of accidental disengagement of the thills from the vehicle.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination, in a thill-conpling, of a clip device adapted to a vehicle-axle and provided with a log, as at F, having a transverse hole, f, and slot f, and a verticallyranging slot, H, opening into slot f, a thillirou having an eye or lug, a, fitting the holef in lug F, and provided with lateral projections, as at I I, a link, K, having hooks JJ engaging the projections I I, and a spring drawlateral projections, as at I I, and a spring, L, held to the clip device or axle, and having a hook end, M, engaging the links K, for holding the thill-iron eye 9 to a bearing in the cliplug F, substantially as herein set forth.

E. LANSON DUNKLEE.

\Vitnesses:

M. S. CAMP, MARY CAMP. 

